


Secrets

by Wowser2004



Category: Recess (Cartoon)
Genre: 2019, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Extreme bullying, F/M, Fat Shaming, POV Spinelli, Romance, no more tags to avoid spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23514847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wowser2004/pseuds/Wowser2004
Summary: NOTE: This fic is discontinued because I lost interest in writing.The gang is now in eighth grade, and each member has a secret.
Relationships: TJ/Spinelli for now
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

It happened in sixth grade, during recess. It was a sunny, warm day. Lawson was throwing rocks at kids, telling everyone that he was the strongest person in the whole school. Spinelli disagreed with him, and it turned into an argument about if boys are stronger than girls. TJ then claimed that Spinelli was able to do more pushups than Lawson. He also suggested that the winner gets to choose the losers outfit for the whole next day.

Spinelli remembered that her arms were sore for a whole week. The 25 pushups she managed to do weren't enough. Lawson managed 42, and Spinelli had to wear an outfit of his choice for a whole day. The short blue skirt, which he probably stole from the Ashley's, was knee length. To her own surprise, Spinelli enjoyed every single second of wearing it. The feeling of fresh air on her bare legs, it was just so comfortable. Even the piercing stares and giggles didn't bother her. Yes, it made her feel weird, but in a great way. She couldn't explain it, but being seen as a normal girl wasn't that bad after all.

The day was going well until Lawson opened his mouth again. It happened during recess again, and he yelled, "Nice legs, babe," at Spinelli. It was so loud that everyone in the schoolyard heard that.

From that moment, it was over for Spinelli. Everyone in the yard stared at her and her legs. She crumbled and started to weep. She remembered her face starting to feel hot and the sweat on her head dripping on her blue dress. When she felt her heartbeat rising higher every second, she thought she was going to die.

In retrospect, Spinelli wasn't sure if it was a good idea to run home after that incident. To her surprise, the kids didn't laugh or bully her, and pretty much everyone forgot about that incident a few days later.

Still, that day changed her life, and soon she would realize that she wasn't the only one whose life changed.

* * *

**Two years later,**

Spinelli was sitting in Miss Finster's English class, resting her chin her palm and struggling to keep her eyes open. She was wearing her typical outfit. It consisted of her oversized boots, her red dress with yellow-red stockings, and her black leather jacket with an orange ski cap on her head.

_Twenty more minutes until recess, I'm so bored right now,_ she thought, after taking a glance at the clock.

Spinelli stretched her arms in the air and yawned loudly, without even covering her mouth, which gathered Miss Finster's attention.

"Spinelli, are you a pig? Show some manners, god damned!" Miss Finster scolded, putting one arm on her hip.

Spinelli grinded her teeth and let out a quiet growl. "I'm sorry, Miss Finster."

"You should be. If this happens one more time, I will send you to the principle, do you understand me?" Miss Finster yelled at Spinelli.

Spinelli crossed her arms. "Yes, I understand."

Sitting at the far back of the classroom, Spinelli had a good overview of the classroom. She was bored, and looked around. The whole gang, except Vince, was here with her in class.

Mikey was sitting to the left near the windows. Like every day, he was secretly trying to eat something under his desk. This time it was a chocolate bar. Spinelli chuckled silently, _if he keeps eating like that, he is gonna explode one day._

TJ, to the right near the exit, was scribbling something on a piece of paper. He started to smile when he saw Spinelli's gaze meeting with his. _He is probably planning a prank right now,_ Spinelli thought, she smiled back at him.

Gus was two tables in front of Spinelli, sitting stiff and quiet. Gretchen was right in front of the teacher. She was being very attentive and focused on Miss Finster's lesson.

Behind Mikey was the well-known snitch, Randall. To his right were Ashley A, B, and Q.

Spinelli tried to focus on Miss Finster's old rusty voice, but she suddenly could feel her heartbeat rising, and a faint blush crept up on her face. It was because the sleeve of her right arm fell down when she was stretching her arm in the air, exposing her bare wrist to the class. She quickly but discreetly pushed her sleeve over her wrist, covering it again.

Her body started to shake a little bit. Thankfully, around 30 seconds later, she calmed down a bit. Spinelli sighed in relief. _God damned, that was close. I hope no one saw me like this._

Spinelli was staring out of the window when a short, loud, low-pitched rumbling noise interrupted Spinelli's mini-crisis. It was coming from Mikey's table, more precisely, from his stomach. Mikey shot up out of his chair, raising his right arm. "Miss Finster, can I go to the toilet?" he asked, almost yelling.

Miss Finster pointed at the clock. "Look at the clock, only ten minutes left until the class ends," she yelled, narrowing her eyes. "You can hold it in!"

"Miss Finster, I'm sorry, but I can't hold it anymore. I'll have to go now!" he pleaded while shifting his body back and forth.

"I said NO! Now sit down and be quiet!" Miss Finster yelled.

Mikey sat down, holding his stomach in pain. However, a few seconds later, he shot out of his chair and started to run out of the classroom. The papers on the front desks flew to the ground as he rushed to the door. Miss Finster yelled something incomprehensible, but he ignored her. Giggles and snickering were coming from everywhere, especially from the three Ashley's.

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing!" Ashley A said, scrunching up her face.

"I agree with you Ashley A!" Ashley Q screeched.

"Look how fast he ran! I bet he has—" Ashley B yelled, but she was interrupted by Ashley A, "I know what you are thinking about, Ashley B!"

The three Ashley's stood up and yelled, "Diarrhea!" while giving each other a high-five.

Miss Finster stood up and yelled, "Stop the laughter!" She repeatedly punched her table with her palm, but the class continued laughing. "I said stop you little brats!"

The laughter did not stop, which made Spinelli's blood boil. She stood up and yelled, "Stop laughing, you idiots!" while putting her hands on her hips.

Randall interrupted the sudden silence. "Then what? Little girl!" he sneered at Spinelli.

_What? Little girl? He doesn't even fear me anymore?_ Spinelli thought.

Spinelli slowly turned her head to the little rat and clenched her fists. "I'll show you what I'm gonna do!" she yelled, shaking her right fist in the air.

Spinelli was ready to beat the shit out of Randall, but Miss Finster suddenly screamed, "You two, stop!" She then pointed at Spinelli, yelling, "And you, sit down!"

The class calmed down, and Spinelli sank into her chair. Her heart was still pounding when she rested her chin on her right palm. Five minutes passed, Spinelli was staring out of the window, she wondered about Mikey.

_He must be taking a big dump if it takes that long,_ Spinelli thought before her mind slowly drifted into sleep. A crumpled up note hitting her right arm interrupted her dreamy state. Spinelli's mouth was gaping open in shock because she realized something. Her right sleeve fell down again, this time exposing her right upper arm to the class. Spinelli stared at her arm, not sure what do to now. _Shit, I think TJ saw my bare arm!_

Spinelli lost her sense of time, and her heartbeat increased. She could feel her body heating up and sweat forming on her head. Her body was frozen like a deer in headlights. Her mind was blank, and her eyes were fixed on the chalkboard.

A few minutes later, the bell rang. Spinelli was still in her panicked state when someone gently touched her exposed arm. It was TJ, and he gave her a worryingly look.

"You alright, Spin? You look pale, and you didn't react to my note," TJ asked, eyeballing Spinelli.

When TJ let go of Spinelli's wrist, Spinelli rubbed her forehead. "Ugh, yeah, you know, this Randall rat pissing me off!. And I'm worried about Mikey."

She then quickly pushed the sleeves over her right arm and shot up out of her chair.

TJ nodded and asked, "Uh, did you read my note?" pointing at the crumpled up note on Spinelli's desk.

Spinelli grabbed the note. "I'll read it later." Then, a smile formed on her face. "But first it's time for recess!" she said, before walking outside the class. Spinelli's last thoughts before she left the classroom were, _TJ saw my arm and even touched it but he didn't even laugh?_


	2. Chapter 2

The gang, minus Mikey, met up in front at the lockers, and then walked through the hallways, heading to the schoolyard. Suddenly, they noticed a disgusting smell in the air.

"What the hell is this smell?" Vince asked while the gang held their nose.

"That's the smell of hydrogen sulfide," Gretchen said.

"Hydro what?" Spinelli asked.

"It's a gas, created by the body when its digesting food containing sulfur, like beans," Gretchen answered. Vince started to laugh. "So it's a fart?" he asked, not knowing that Mikey rushed to the toilet during English class.

Vince noticed the sudden worryingly looks on his friend's faces. "Is everything al—" he was interrupted by TJ yelling, "We need to go to the toilet, NOW!"

As the five ran to the toilets, Spinelli noticed the increasingly disgusting smell. _Holy crap, its like rotten eggs but worse._

When they arrived at the toilets, Spinelli started to gag uncontrollably. There was a little bit of fecal matter in front of the boy's toilet door. Spinelli sighed in relief because she knew that girls were not allowed to enter the boys' toilet.

TJ, Gus, and Vince held their nose closed as they entered the toilet. Spinelli and Gretchen pressed their ears against the door and listened.

Someone knocked on one of the toilet stalls. It was TJ's voice, asking, "Are you in there, Mikey?"

Spinelli heard a muffled voice, "Go away!" _That is definitely Mikey._

"C'mon, Mikey, open the door!" TJ ordered.

"What have I become?" Mikey cried out.

Spinelli could hear the sob in his voice, which made her clench her jaw. "Should we go in?" she asked, but Gretchen just shook her head.

For a while, there was silence inside the toilet before TJ said, "Uh, I think we need some help here," his voice was shaky.

"I guess we need to ask Spinelli," Vince suggested, which made Spinelli nervously tap her feet on the floor.

"No way I'm gonna let her see that!" TJ protested.

"Why the hell? One more person and we can lift him off the toilet, or do you wanna call the fire department?" Vince screamed.

Gus interrupted. "We need to bring him to the nurse!" he yelled.

Mikey's sobs became loud cries, and Spinelli slammed her fist on the wall. _They need help! But don't wanna go in there,_ Spinelli screamed in her thoughts. _  
_

Pacing forth and back, Spinelli had enough. She angrily stomped to the toilet door and yanked the door open as fast as she could. Her anger changed to disbelief, and her mouth slowly gaped open at the scene in front of her.

There was a line of brown liquid on the floor, which led to a toilet stall. TJ and Vince were standing in front of it, each of one grabbing one of Mikey's hands.

Spinelli wondered, _If TJ and Vince are there, then Gus must be inside the stall with Mikey._

With each step closer, the smell was becoming more and more unbearable, and the intensity of Spinelli's gag reflex increased.

Spinelli was right; Gus was inside the stall with Mikey, trying to push him out of the toilet, using his legs. _God damned, they have shit all over their clothes,_ Spinelli thought, as she grabbed Mikey's right arm.

While using all her strength to lift him off the toilet, Spinelli had a question, "Why can't he just stand up?"

"I don't know, he was passed out when we found him," Gus yelled, his voice was shaky, full of panic.

"I guess he is just too weak right now," TJ remarked.

Despite Spinelli almost passing out because of the smell, the four managed to help Mikey stand up. Unfortunately, he was still too weak to walk, so he rested most of his body weight on his friend's shoulders.

His right arm rested on Spinelli and TJ, while his left was on Vince and poor Gus, who seemed to be out of breath already. Everyone in the school already heard about what happened at the toilet, and a crowd formed around the gang.

Spinelli had a problem, a big one. Mikey's hand, which was hanging near Spinelli's face, had a shit stain on it. Every time she tried to breathe in, she gagged. It didn't help that her muscles already consumed all the oxygen in her body. Spinelli's lungs began to burn, and her ears rang. Her vision narrowed, and her knees started to tremble. Eventually, the lack of oxygen was too much, Spinelli collapsed, screaming in panic, "Shit!

Am I gonna die now?" Before she could hit the ground, something grabbed her. It was two arms around her chest, slowing down the fall. The last thing Spinelli saw was Mikey, landing beside her. He had poop on his face, and Spinelli couldn't believe it, _he is smiling!_


	3. Chapter 3

Spinelli's eyes slowly opened as she regained her consciousness. She felt the solid floor on her ass and the wall on her back. TJ was kneeling in front of her. He kindly pushed her shoulders against the wall, preventing her from tumbling to the side.

TJ's eyes widened when his and Spinelli's eyes met. "Spinelli, are you okay? Can you talk?"

Spinelli took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm just... my head is spinning."

TJ let go of her shoulders and moved his face closer to hers. "Okay, just relax for a while," he

whispered. Spinelli opened her eyes, and her heart began to race. She thought the freckles TJ's face looked kinda adorable, and for some reason, she started to count them.

_One, two, three, four—_

Suddenly, TJ moved his face away and sat down beside her. Spinelli tried to stand up, but her body felt too heavy. Sniggers and laughs were coming from the crowd around them. Mikey sat on the opposite wall, beside the boy's toilet. Just like Spinelli, he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. A pool of brown liquid surrounded him. The smell was horrendous. Vince and Gretchen stood beside him, trying to cheer him up while trying to suppress their gag-reflexes.

Spinelli asked, "So, what's the plan, TJ?" pointing at Mikey.

TJ chuckled. "I don't know, to be honest. We told Gus to get the nurse."

Spinelli nodded and then analyzed her surroundings. The crowd around her has grown in size. Mikey started to cry like a baby, coving his face with his palms. When Spinelli heard an old woman screeching, she knew it was Miss Finster.

Miss Finster pushed herself through the crowd, letting out an earsplitting scream, "What in god's name is going on here? I demand an explanation!"

Randall was behind Miss Finster, following her closely like a loyal dog. He was rubbing his hands together at the sight of Mikey shitting in his pants. Then, he took a small notepad and a pen out of his pocket.

Staring at the scene, Miss Finster froze in shock. "Randall, go get the nurse, now!" she ordered.

Randall said, "Okay, Miss Finster," and immediately ran toward the nurse's office.

Without a word, TJ sat down beside Spinelli. Miss Finster approached Mikey, shaking her head.

"How are you feeling," Miss Finster asked, her tone was genuine.

Mikey's face flinched in pain and his body shivered. "I feel... better, just... a little bit cold," he cried out.

"He lost a lot of body fluids," Gretchen remarked, gesturing at the pool of diarrhea on the floor.

Miss Finster tried to cheer Mikey up, telling him that the nurse will be here soon. However, she kept her distance. The strong smell of diarrhea caused her eyes to water after all.

"Now everyone, who is not involved in this situation, leave!" Miss Finster yelled, turned her head toward the crowd.

The crowd slowly dissolved. A few moments later, Gus, Randall, and the nurse arrived. The nurse, a slightly overweight woman in her 40s, asked, "Oh my god, what happened here?" She took a deep breath, trying not to puke, and then approached Mikey.

Suddenly, Randall interrupted, yelling, "He shit in his pants, that's what happened." He then started to laugh devilish and wrote something on his notepad. Spinelli's blood started to boil. Pushing her arms against the wall, she shot off the floor. Unfortunately, the sudden feeling of lightheadedness overcame her. Her vision faded into darkness, and the last thing she felt was TJ's hand, grabbing her under the arm.

This time, Spinelli was lying with her back on the floor. She woke up and felt something wrapped around her ankles, holding her legs above heart level. Her friends were surrounding her, asking if everything is okay. Looking at the ceiling, Spinelli realized, _this is the most embarrassing day of my life._

"Let go of me," Spinelli yelled, yanking her legs free from Vince. She then tried to stand up, but TJ placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Slow down, or you will pass out again!" Gretchen warned, typing something on Galileo, her hand-held computer.

"Why do I keep passing out?" Spinelli asked, rubbing her head.

"You got up to fast. Your blood was still pooled in your lower body, and your heart failed to pump enough blood toward your head. This lowered the blood pressure in your brain, and caused you to pass out," Gretchen proudly explained.

Grabbing Spinelli under her arm, TJ and Vince slowly helped her up. At the same moment, the nurse and Miss Finster helped Mikey up. Watching the brown liquid dripping off his pants, Spinelli thought, _at least he has brown pants on._ She gave him a heartening smile as she waddled to the girl's bathroom.

The girl's bathroom was to the right, beside the boys. Somehow, there was also diarrhea on the floor in front of it. Spinelli slipped on the liquid poop but managed to catch herself with one hand on the door handle. Hearing the crowd cheering at Spinelli, she quickly entered the bathroom and walked to the faucet. She placed her hands on the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. _What a shitty day,_ she thought, closing her eyes.

Summer was right around the corner. Spinelli needed to solve her, _I can't show any skin without getting a panic attack problem._ Mikey shitting in his pants came at a good time. _Everyone's focus is on him now,_ she thought, before sitting down on the toilet. Spinelli tried to figure out a plan and looked at her yellow-red stockings. _I could start slowly, only showing a little bit of skin at first,_ she thought, before staring her right wrist. She rolled up her right sleeve, exposing a little bit of her right wrist. Her breathing increased, and her body started to shake a little as she walked out of the girl's bathroom. _I can do this._


	4. Chapter 4

Spinelli walked to the bathroom exit and pushed open the door a little. She peeked outside and saw Hank the janitor, mopping the floor with his eyes narrowed.  
  
"These damn kids and their fast food. I'm seriously thinking about quitting my job right now!" Hank complained as he dipped his mop into a nearby foamy water bucket.  
  
Spinelli heard a chuckle, and then a raspy, elder female voice saying, "Yeah, the bald bastard should give us a raise for that."  
  
Spinelli pushed open the door a little more and gasped in shock. It was Miss Finster, wearing a blue face mask while rubbing the diarrhea covered floor with a towel.  
  
_No way, I'm trapped!_ Spinelli thought. She waited until Miss Finster turned around to Hank and then pushed the door once again. Sadly, she had to stop because the door squeaked.  
  
A sudden ear-splitting voice screamed, "Miss Finster! Miss Finster! Miss Finster! Spinelli is inside the school during recess!"  
  
"You dirty rat! You're gonna pay for that!" Spinelli barked out before slamming the door shut and running back into one of the toilet stalls. She sat down on the toilet and rolled down her right sleeve. _This damn Randal rat again. I can't do this, not like this._  
  
Spinelli heard a door handle going down and then Mister Finster's voice, "Alright, you have three seconds to get out of here! Don't make me come inside!"  
  
Spinelli complied with Miss Finster's order. Stepping out of the stall, she saw Miss Finster, blocking the exit door. "Um, Miss Finster? Can you get out of my way?"  
  
Miss Finster stepped aside and let Spinelli leave the bathroom. Spinelli balled her fist at Randal as she walked through the hallways to the schoolyard.

The weather was sunny, the air fresh and warm. Kids were running all over the place, playing tag, kickball, and other stuff. The upside-down girl was hanging upside-down on a tree, the swinger girl was swinging on a swing, and the four Ashley's were marching inside their clubhouse, which was entirely made out of tires.  
  
TJ was waiting right at the entrance to the yard. He instantly spotted Spinelli and approached her.  
  
"Whoa! You're finally here! Are you feeling better now?" TJ asked, placing his right hand on Spinelli's shoulder.  
  
Spinelli snapped. "I am fine, okay!"  
  
"Okay, okay," TJ said, lifting his hands defensively, "Our friends are waiting at the new rusty by the way."  
  
"Alright... no, wait! What's up with him?" Spinelli asked. She spotted Gus, who was standing absolutely still in the middle of the yard.  
  
"Man... he looks so lost!" TJ shrugged. "Probably Gelman again?"  
  
Spinelli gave TJ a nod as she followed him toward Gus. She thought about Gus and what happened with him and Gelman two weeks ago.  
  
It began with a simple request during launch. Gelman was sitting at a table two behind the gang, devouring his whole meal in less than two minutes. He wanted to get another tray, but his massive sized body was stuck on the chair.  
  
Spinelli remembered Gelman yelling, "Gus! Bring me more food, or I'm gonna beat your dumb ass!"  
  
Spinelli remembered Gus shooting out of the chair and rushing to the food counter without complaining. _Gus was behaving like a slave, so weird._ When Gus came back and gave Gelman the tray, Gelman yelled, "What took you so long? I'm fucking hungry!"  
  
Spinelli remembered Gus responding by bowing his head and then walking back to the gang's table. It was at that moment Spinelli realized, _Gus might actually enjoy being commanded around._  
  
Back in the present, TJ and Spinelli approached Gus, and he looked like a deer in headlights when TJ tapped his shoulder.  
  
"Gus! What are you doing here? C'mon, Vince and Gretchen are waiting at the new rusty!" TJ said.  
  
"TJ! I'm not allowed to talk!" Gus whispered as loud as he could. "Talk to me after recess!"  
  
"What? Are you kidding me? You wanna stay here during the whole recess?" Spinelli asked, thinking, _If someone would slap him in the face, would this cure his problem?_  
  
TJ glanced at Spinelli and said, "I bet Gelman gave him one of his orders, you know what I mean?"  
  
Spinelli stroked her chin, and then a weak smile formed on her face. _Wait a moment..._ "Gus! Follow me. Now!"  
  
Gus suddenly jumped in excitement and turned around to Spinelli. His small, blue eyes were sparkling as he asked, "Is this an... order?"  
  
"Yes! This is an... official... order!" Spinelli said. She then looked at TJ and pointed at Vince, who did pushups on a patch of grass beside the new rusty. "Our friends are waiting, let's go!"  
  
Gus marched behind Spinelli; he even synchronized his steps with Spinelli's. But that wasn't the only crazy thing happening right now. Vince was doing an extreme amount of pushups. Spinelli tried to count them, _twentyone... twenty-three... thirty...,_ but he was doing them faster and faster. Spinelli stopped counting at 43, and thought, _He did like forty pushups in thirty seconds, and he is still going... holy crap!  
_  
"Vince is working out again. He is such a beast!" TJ said.  
  
"Yep, he was always super fit. But seriously... How do his muscles not explode?" Spinelli pointed at Vince. "He did at least 100 pushups now, and he doesn't even look tired!"  
  
"Yeah. I know, right? He told me that his football colleagues showed him a new workout routine," TJ said.  
  
"Seriously? A workout routine? I need to ask him!" Spinelli said.  
  
TJ rubbed his neck. "Uh, you better not. It's like super strict, and I don't want you to get hurt!"  
  
"Me? Hurt? C'mon!" Spinelli joked, and then nudged TJ's elbow. "I'm still tough as hell, even though I'm uh, yeah, whatever."  
  
"Yeah, I... okay...I get it." TJ muttered out.  
  
Vince stopped his workout and stood up when his friends showed up. "What's up, guys?" he asked, giving TJ a casual handshake.  
  
"Not much, Spinelli asked about your training plan," TJ said with a smug grin on his face. "She wanted to try to for herself:"  
  
"Oh, really? Well, it is, it's... very... it's specifically made for me, so no. Sorry," Vince stuttered out. He nervously scratched his head.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

_What's up with Vince? Why is he so secretive? It's just a damn workout routine!_ Spinelli thought. Her blood started to boil when she noticed Gus still standing behind her. "Gus! What is wrong with you! Stop it! You're creeping me out!"

"I... I'm sorry," Gus muttered out.

Spinelli rolled her eyes in shame when Gus ran to TJ and hid behind him. She let out an annoyed moan. "Ugh, I'm sorry. Shit."

"But seriously..." Vince said, staring at Gus. "What is happening between you and Gelman?"

Spinelli shook her head in disbelief, thinking, _what if I order Gus to stop taking orders from_ _Gelman?_

"Nothing is going on. Everything is fine. How is Mikey doing?" Gus asked. _  
_

"He is in the nurse's office," Gretchen, who suddenly appeared from behind said. "I'm sure they will give him some Loperamide to suppress his diarrhea," 

"Hopefully, they got have some spare pants for him," Vince joked. He then continued his workout, now doing pull-ups on one of the metal bars on the new rusty. Gretchen and Gus stared at him while TJ and Spinelli decided to lie down on the grass nearby.

"We gotta deal with Gelman, we can't let him Gus control like that," TJ said to Spinelli, tapping his feet in the air.

Spinelli agreed. "Yeah, and it's so weird. You saw how he followed me? I swear he enjoyed it!"

TJ stroked his chin. "Hmm, should we experiment? With Gus, I mean."

Spinelli raised one brow. "Okay, but don't do anything stupid!"

TJ suddenly yelled, "Gus!" and then waved to him. "Come here." 

Without delay, Gus sprinted to TJ and Spinelli. "Yep?" 

"We're worried about you! Why are you following Gelman's commands?" TJ asked.

"I don't know. I mean, he is big and scary," Gus stuttered out. "He could kill me with one punch!" 

"But you are enjoying it, aren't you?" TJ asked. "C'mon, we are your best friends, you can tell us everything."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Gus said. "I just don't want him to hurt me!"

"But you followed Spinelli's o—" TJ said, but he was interrupted by Spinelli, who shot off the ground and yelled, "Gus, sit down, now!" 

Gus winced in shock before quickly sitting down on the ground without a word. 

"See! What's going on with you?" TJ yelled. "You just blindly follow everyone's commands!"

"I don't know!" Gus cried out. He covered his face with his palm and started to wail like a baby. 

Spinelli stood up and rushed to Gus, "What? Shit! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! Stand up! This is so embarrassing!" 

"It's not your fault. I can't resist! I enjoy being a..." Gus couldn't finish his sentence because he burst into tears and kneeled on the ground. He then wrapped his arms around Spinelli's knees, almost causing her to stumble. 

"Whoa dude, calm down!" Spinelli ordered. _His arms around my legs make me feel funny for some reason._

Gus screamed when Spinelli grabbed the little hair he has on his scalp to prevent herself from falling. "Please, stop hurting me! I did everything you said!"

"No! It was an accident! Let go of me!" Spinelli yelled. A few kids were staring already, causing Spinelli to cover her face in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Gretchen and Vince rushed to the scene.

"Gretchen, you're smart, how do we deal with this situation?" Spinelli asked. Gus was holding her legs tightly; she was unable to walk away.

Gretchen pulled Galileo out of her pocket. "Umm, let me think." 

TJ approached Gus with a tight-lipped smile and placed his hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, let her go!" 

Gretchen was scratching her head before suggesting, "He is suffering an emotional breakdown. He needs a lot of affection from his friends right now. Spinelli, you could try hugging him!"

"No way! I'm not going embarrass myself like this in front of the whole—" Spinelli was interrupted by Gretchen.

"Look around." Gretchen waved her hands at the crowd that formed around them. "It's too late for that now."

Spinelli sighed in defeat, thinking, _whatever, I hug him, and then he hopefully leaves me alone._

Spinelli stretched her arms out toward Gus. "Come here."

Gus didn't react. He loudly sniffed his nose and wiped a tear from his cheek.

Spinelli raised her voice. "Gus, stand up, and let me hug you."

Gus slowly and carefully let go of Spinelli's legs. He stood up with a smile, which quickly faded away because Spinelli didn't felt like hugging him at all. Spinelli loosely placed her hands on Gus's shoulders, thinking, _what the hell am I doing, and what will the people think about me? I just ruined my reputation forever._ Then, Spinelli glanced at TJ, who stood with a blank expression on his face. "Yep, that's how it is," Spinelli said.

"That's enough!" Spinelli put her hands away and angrily crossed her arms, staring at TJ. "I did everything I could. Now what?" 

TJ stood dumbstruck and shrugged his shoulders without saying a word.

Luckily, Gus seemed to collect himself. He stopped crying a few seconds later. "Thank you, Spinelli! I know how hard it is for you to show passion. You helped me. I already feel better."

"Alright, now that we got this situation resolved..." Vince slapped his right biceps, which looked big and muscular. "These big boy guns won't grow themselves."

Sneering was coming from the crowd of students that slowly dissolved. With Vince going back to the new rusty and Gus and Gretchen following him, Spinelli decided to lie down on the grass again. TJ joined her and said, "I'm telling you, the students here in this school behave super weird lately." 

"I agree. It's not a fun place anymore. Do you remember Miss Grotke? I miss her," Spinelli responded.

TJ started to laugh. "Of course. She was like a second mom to you," he joked.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Spinelli's face turned red in embarrassment because she remembered accidentally calling Miss Grotke "Mom" in fourth grade. 

"But you're right. Miss Finster is such a bitch," TJ said. He rolled to his right side, now facing Spinelli.

Spinelli stared blankly at the grass when she noticed in her peripheral vision that TJ was staring at her. "So what about Gus, you said you wanna deal with him?" Spinelli

TJ ignored Spinelli's question and whispered, "You're kinda hot."

"Huh?" Spinelli rolled her left side, now staring right into TJ's diamond blue eyes. "Excuse me?"

"I mean..." TJ suddenly gently poked Spinelli's forehead with his index finger. "Like hot... uhh.... temperature..."

Spinelli wiped her now sweating forehead with the back of her hand. "Oh, yeah. It's warm here."

TJ grasped the right sleeve of Spinelli's leather jacket with his thumb and index finger and asked, "Isn't it too hot to wear a jacket?"

Spinelli shook her head. Her face felt even hotter now. "It's still only May... I don't care."

"But, it's so damn hot outside." TJ adjusted his position on the ground and then cracked his back. He moved a little closer to Spinelli. "Umm, whatever, forget it."

"The hell is wrong with you?" Spinelli asked. Now feeling hypnotized and her heartbeat rising, she started to count the freckles on TJ's face. "One, two" _three—_

"TJ?" A voice interrupted. It was Vince, shouting, "I need a spotter."

TJ didn't say a word; he just stared at Spinelli with his eyes widened.

"Just go dude, I'm chilling here," Spinelli said. She rolled on her stomach and rested her elbows on the grass. 

TJ rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah..." He then winked at Spinelli. "Be right back." 

Spinelli's gaze never went away from TJ, who walked back to Vince.


	6. Chapter 6

TJ walked to Vince, who was doing bench presses on a small outdoor gym around fifty yards away from the new rusty. The school got it thanks to TJ and Vince, but mostly thanks Vince, because of his outstanding performance during the last year's local football championship. 

_I could train with Vince, but, uhh..._

Spinelli gently moved her right hand over her left thin, spaghetti-like arm. She then let her arms drop on the grass and spread her arms and legs spread out like an angel in the snow. 

_...I just wanna chill and lie down on the grass._

With TJ gone, Spinelli was alone with her thoughts again. She stared thoughtfully into the bright, blue summer sky, and listened to the voices of the kids in the background, playfully yelling and having fun running around. She felt kinda jealous, looking at the kids running around, wearing T-shirts and shorts without a care in the world.

_Only a few months until summer. I need to do something. I want to be free too, and no longer stuck in my sweating hot clothes._

Lifting her left leg high up in the air, Spinelli thought, _I could cut a hole in my stockings. But I have to make it look like an accident._ _Hmm, maybe... what if I just buy a dress and walk outside alone at night? What if Gus... Whoa—_

Deep in her thoughts, Spinelli didn't even realize that someone snuck up on her. It was TJ again; he playfully tickled Spinelli's ankle, which was dangling in the air. 

"Holy crap!" Spinelli's heart skipped a beat, she shot off the ground "Stop it! What are you doing?"

"Is this some kind of exercise, or are you just showing off your legs?" TJ asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, shut up!" Spinelli responded as she laid down on the grass again.

TJ laid down beside her with his legs crossed in the air. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. It's hot as hell and humid too, but it's still better than Mikey's... you know. What about you?"

"I know what you mean. The smell of Mikey's shit is stuck in my nose." TJ chuckled. "And this whole situation with Gus freaked me out a little bit."

Spinelli nodded and then rolled her body around. She was now lying on her stomach, with her head resting on her palms. She had an excellent overview of the whole schoolyard.

Remembering TJ throwing a letter at her during English class, Spinelli asked, "So what did you write in the letter for me? I kinda lost it."

"Well, Vince is gonna go to the gym today and... I wanted to ask you... if you want to go to the mall with me. I wanna... just eating food... ha-ha, you know." TJ said. His voice was cracking nervously. "Or maybe we'll go Kelso's? I'm up for a chili-cheeseburger."

"Why not, I guess!" Spinelli replied, thinking, _a cheeseburger sounds good right now._ Her mouth watered. "But what about Mikey? I don't think he can handle chili right now..."

"Well, I... I thought about going alone, just we two," TJ stuttered out. "Vince has to inject... I mean Vince has leg day, Mikey's gonna stay at home probably because he's sick, and Gus and Gretchen... so yeah, what do you think?"

Spinelli raised one eyebrow in suspicion, but then shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds like a plan."

TJ nodded. He tried to stay relaxed, but the corners of his mouth twitched, he was obviously visible excited that Spinelli said yes to him.

They had a moment of silence, and Spinelli's eyes scanned the schoolyard. She spotted Randal near the entrance grinning mischievously and carefully observing the door to the yard. 

_I wonder who this disgusting rat is gonna snitch on next._

Looking to the right, Spinelli saw King Lawson. Yep, the gangs' arch enemy was now the king of the schoolyard. He was supervising all fifth to eighth-graders. _At least he is leaving us alone, for now._

"TJ? I need your help again!" Vince suddenly yelled again. This time, he stood under the new rusty, doing chin-ups on a metal bar.

"You can go. I'll chill here and watch the yard for any suspicious activity," Spinelli joked.

Spinelli watched Vince and TJ working out. She found it kinda cute how Gus was mimicking Vince, who did an insane amount of chin-ups on the new rusty. Gus wasn't the only one staring in awe. Gretchen seemed to be baffled by Vince too. Her mouth was gaping open, and her cheeks were slowly turning crimson as Vince increased the speed of his workout.

_I think everyone is going crazy here, even me._

Randall was still near the entrance, he was slowly rubbing his hands together with an evil smile.

_What is he doing there anyway? Usually, he's roaming around the yard, spying on all the kids. I should probably warn my friends._

Thinking about fixing her, _I can't show any skin_ problem again, Spinelli decided to climb up the new rusty, to the top platform. However, as she stood up, a black crow, that caught a worm with its mouth landed beside her.

"Oh my god, so cute!" Spinelli whispered to herself. "Such a shame that I don't have any seeds for—" Suddenly, TJ appeared in the corner of Spinelli's eyes. 

"Spin? Come, we gotta discuss our plans with Gus and Mikey," TJ said.

Spinelli quickly changed her tone to the crow. "—Go away, you... disgusting creature!" 

"Alright, I'm coming," Spinelli followed TJ and then looked at the small shed on top of the new rusty. _I gotta climb up there later, need to watch Randall. I got a bad feeling about him._


	7. Chapter 7

Vince stopped doing his chin-ups when Spinelli and TJ came near him. "Gretchen has a plan," he said to Spinelli.

Spinelli sat down at one of the two swings which were attached under the new rusty. "Okay... And what's the plan?"

"One moment." Gretchen pulled out her handheld computer, Galileo, and waved to Gus. "Come here."

"What the hell is going on?" Spinelli whispered to TJ, who joined Spinelli on the swing.

"Just wait and see," TJ whispered into Spinelli's ear.

Gretchen pressed the power button on Galileo and let him boot up. "Oh, hello, Gretchen, how can I help you?" the green frog, who appeared on the screen of Galileo, said. It wore a pajama and yawned loudly.

"Good to see you. Remember what I told about Gus? I need your help now," Gretchen said.

"Are you sure... is this really a good idea? Will it hurt?" Gus cut in, nervously moving his legs as if he had to pee.

Gretchen said, "No, it's fine. It's a non-intrusive test. It's not gonna hurt at all," and then gave Gus her Galileo.

"Whoa! Gretchen gave her supercomputer away? Holy crap!" Vince yelled.

"It's for a greater good, trust me. Plus, we might mess up the test results if I hold it," Gretchen said.

"And now?" Gus asked, now holding Galileo in his hands.

"We wait for Galileo to do its magic," Gretchen said.

Galileo made a peeping sound and then said, "While I read Gus's vital signs, Gretchen, please explain to me again what is wrong with him."

"Like I said before, he can't resist being controlled by other people. Spinelli thinks that he actually enjoys it."

"Well, okay, let's do this quick, my battery is getting low." Galileo pointed at the battery icon on the top right of the screen, which showed six percent. "Now someone please give him an order. Preferable someone how is very mean and scary looking."

"We need a volunteer!" Gretchen asked. Her eyes wandered over her friends, who didn't seem to be in the mood for giving orders. "No one? Really? Fine, I'll do it my self. Gus! Press the back Galileo against your wrist."

Gus followed Gretchen instructions, and Galileo started to talk again, "Blood pressure 115 to 61, Heart rate, 62. Your vital signs are in a healthy range. Hmm, wait! His heart rate is rising to 100 now!"

"Oh no, am I gonna die now?" Gus asked. A tear formed on his eye. 

"Nonono! Do not worry; everything is going according to plan. Now let's continue with the DNA sample," Galileo said. Suddenly, a small, transparent, white plastic box popped out of the left side of Galileo. "Please spit in the box and then gently slide it back in."

Without a word, Gus removed the small plastic box and spat in it before shoving it back in.

"Excellent, now please wait a moment. I'm adding you to my database," Galileo said. He started to beep, and then a loading bar appeared on the screen. 

_God... Gus is so pathetic! Why is he so afraid? I'm not gonna waste my recess watching them!_ _Spinelli thought._

"Do we really wanna waste our time playing with this stupid piece of metal trash?" Spinelli suddenly interrupted. "You guys can do whatever you want, I'm gonna climb up the rusty. No way, I'm wasting my precious recess. By the way, Randall is probably planning something evil."

Ignoring the mildly irritated looks from Vince and Gretchen, Spinelli climbed up the bars until she reached the top of the new rusty, where she sat down.

As she sat there with her back leaning on the railing, he tried to figure out a plan for herself again. Using her fingernails, she attempted to rip off a tiny patch of her stockings, right under her left knee. Sadly for her, she somehow managed to pinch her leg with her fingernails, causing her to scream, "Ouch!" in pain.

"Whoa! Spin? Are you hurt?" TJ asked from below.

"I'm fine! No need to come up!" Spinelli yelled back. 

_This is going nowhere. I'm just gonna buy a damn dress or something, and go out alone at night. But still, I need to... train... I guess? Plus, cutting my stocking means there is no way back. I need a safe back up plan, just in case something goes wrong._

Spinelli decided to roll up her left sleeve this time so that half of her forearm was exposed. It means that she can roll it back down in case something goes wrong. She felt a little light-headed and kindaexposed as if she was completely naked now.

_How the hell can I explain this to myself?_

Before going back to her friends, Spinelli took another look at Randall. He was now holding something big, which looked like a cone in his right hand.

_What is this... wait! It's a megaphone! Something big is going on! Time to warn my friends!_

The warm summer air brushed against Spinelli's half-exposed wrist as she slid down the slide. It felt like in slow-motion when she landed on her feet down the slide. The world around her spun in a circle, but it felt great. Everything looked more vibrant in color, just like TJ's freckles.

"Are you guys done yet?" Spinelli asked. She hid her arms behind her back as the ground underneath her feet felt like moving.

"Almost. Galileo's battery is almost empty. I need to plug him into a computer or a power socket," Gretchen said. She typed something on Galileo. "Our next class is chemistry, excellent."

"Good! Now everyone, listen to me," Spinelli said. At first, she didn't even realize that she raised her left arm and pointed her index finger in the air. Her bare wrist was now exposed to her friends. She quickly hid it behind her back again and looked innocently at the ground. "Umm, yeah, so... Randall is up for something bad, we need to stay alert!"

"Spinelli, you okay? You look... high? What's wrong? Why are your knees shaking?" TJ asked, slowly approaching Spinelli.

Spinelli found it hard to think clearly. She took a step away from the approaching TJ and made a stop gesture with her right hand. "Go away, dude!"

TJ's eyes widened in shock. "What? Huh? What's... going on?" He started to stumble on his words. "Spinelli, can you stop? You're scaring me to death! Gretchen, something is wrong with Spinelli!"

 _Fuck it! It's just TJ, he will never do me any harm!_ Taking a deep breath, Spinelli raised her left hand and gestured stop with it too. "TJ, I... fuck you!" Spinelli's body felt almost weightless like a feather, she felt like floating the air as if gravity was shut off. And when TJ grabbed both of Spinelli's hands, time froze for a moment.

_TJ isn't laughing. No one is laughing! What is going on? I love—_

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to enjoy the moment because Randall's disgusting, rat-like voice echoed through the whole yard. Everyone's attention was on him now. "Attention, everyone. There he is, Mikey Blumberg! The well-known pant hitter himself!"

With her heart still racing, Spinelli slowly let go of TJ' hands and moved her sleeve over her left wrist again. Suddenly, a shrill, loud sound forced everyone to hold their ears shut in pain. It was Randall, fumbling with his megaphone. "Alright, everyone, sing with me!" Randall yelled, his voice was amplified.

Then, a crowd of students formed by the entrance, and Spinelli saw Mikey entering the yard.

The crowd started to sing the baby shark song, with the lyrics replaced by shitty-shit-pant-pant. "Here comes the pant-pant-pant-pant shitter-shitter shitty shit, the-the pant-pant shitter shitty shit. The-the pant-pant-pant-pant-pant-pant shitter, pant-pant-pant shitter shitty panty-pant."

Weirdly enough, Mikey didn't seem to care. He waved his arms in the air like a bird, and Spinelli could see his mouth moving as if he sang along with the crowd.

The crowd made room for Mikey, who approached TJ and his gang at the new rusty. "Pee and fart, letting out a shart, too many beans, pooping in my jeans, they laugh at me, but it doesn't matter to me, because at least, now I'm free," Mikey said. Despite his massive body size, he managed to stand on his right toe and then spun around like a ballerina with his arms stretched out.

"Spoken like a true poet," Spinelli said. TJ snorted and unsuccessfully tried to hide his laughter.


	8. Chapter 8

TJ approached Mikey. "You look good, dude. You feel better too?" 

"I feel awesome, light like a cloud, humongous like Uranus, and free like a bird," Mikey said.

"Well, you did quite lost at least a few pounds," TJ pointed out while trying to suppress a laugh.

 _Thanks for reminding me, TJ,_ Spinelli thought. She caught a whiff of Mikey's body odor and realized that he currently doesn't smell like shit. _I wonder if he's wearing clean underpants... or if any at all._

Now laughing, Spinelli angrily boxed TJ in the shoulder. "Stop it, dude!"

"What?" TJ asked, crossing his arms with a grin.

"Making me laugh!" 

TJ moved his mouth close to Spinelli's ear and whispered, "Never."

Spinelli pressed her palms against TJ's chest, gently pushing him away from herself. She could feel his muscles under his thin, white t-shirt. "Something is seriously wrong with you lately. You know that?" she said and then placed her hands on her hips.

_Did I feel a six-pack on his chest? Wow, he must've trained with Vince or something._

"Oh, how right you are," TJ muttered under his breath as he walked to Gus. "Gus! Do one pushup!"

"Yes, sir," Gus yelled. One nanosecond later, he dropped on the ground and scrunched up his face as he barely managed to do one pushup. 

With a slightly annoyed expression on his face, TJ approached Gretchen. "I have enough. We need to help Gus! Is Galileo done with his calculations?"

Gretchen pulled out Galileo. "94 percent, almost. But his battery is at three percent now, just saying."

While Galileo did his thing, the gang waited in silence. TJ and Spinelli decided to sit down on the swings. Using her legs, Spinelli gained momentum and swung high in the air. The hot wind blowing into her sleeves right up her whole arm got Spinelli thinking.

_I'm so spineless. I mean, I can show my bare hand just fine. But as soon as someone sees my arm or God forbid, my bare legs, I feel completely naked and exposed... and even high as if I took every drug on earth._

Spinelli looked to her left at TJ, who also looked at her. TJ started to smile when their eyes met.

_TJ wasn't laughing, and he even grabbed my hands because he was so worried about me. I think whatever my problem is, TJ will be a part of the solution._

A loud, beeping sound interrupted Spinelli's mindful state. Way too high up in the air, she jumped off the swing. Like a cat, she landed right on her feet and then rolled over her body like a ninja, absorbing the fall.

"Whoa? Spinelli, Jesus Christ! One day, you're gonna break your legs doing these stunts!" TJ warned as he grabbed Spinelli's right hand, lifting her up.

"No, I'm not a pussy like you, okay?" Spinelli joked. Taking a step toward TJ, her face was now very close to his. "And stop telling me about me hurting... the fall... bullshit, you know?" she stuttered out.

TJ ignored Spinelli's incomprehensible request and stared at her. "You got leaves in your hair."

Spinelli snapped. "Then stop staring at me and remove them!" 

"Sure!" 

Spinelli felt tingles down her spine as TJ began to slowly remove the leaves from her hair. He was doing this really slow, like one leave at a time. "Can you do this any slower? Like seriously?" Spinelli asked. 

TJ started to laugh with his mouth closed, snorting through his nose like a horse. For some reason, he only used one hand to do his job. "Um, Spin? There is like one stuck under your pig... piggy tail."

"What? Are you kidding me? Alright!" Spinelli didn't understand what TJ was on about, and for some reason, her mind went blank. She decided to untie both her pigtails and accidentally dropped her two hair ties on the ground. "Are you happy now?"

TJ shrugged his shoulders. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Spinelli shook her head. "I don't know. Now can you hurry up? Or they're gonna think we're a couple or something!"

"Who are you talking about?" TJ asked, placing his hands on Spinelli's shoulders. "Can you turn a little to the right? You got something on the back of your head."

Spinelli pointed at the rest of the gang, who stood in a row, gawking at her and TJ. To piss off TJ a little, she refused to turn right and stood still rooted on the ground like a tree. 

Suddenly, TJ pushed Spinelli's left shoulder a little forward, trying to turn her right. When he realized that she didn't move one inch, TJ wrapped his arms around Spinelli's upper chest, and lifted her up, turning her whole body right, until she faced her back to him.

Spinelli's jaw dropped. "Dude? What the fuck?" she whispered to TJ.

TJ shrugged. "Well, you didn't turn right... so... I had no choice..."

"And you couldn't just walk behind me?" Spinelli asked. She started to snicker like a little girl when TJ suddenly moved his hands through her hair and removed every single particle of dirt. "By the way, don't even think about tickling me."

Around a minute, TJ was done. He let go of Spinelli's hair. "Alright, we're done here. You're now cleaner than Mikey's new underwear," he said softly so that only Spinelli heard him.

Spinelli chuckled. "I said, stop it, dude. You're not funny." Her face turned red as she tried to hide her laughter. For some reason, she felt slightly disappointed when TJ didn't actually tickle her. 

Spinelli and TJ walked back to the gang, which was waiting for them to come. "Whoa? Spinelli with no pigtails?" Mikey asked. His mouth hung open. "You look good with open hair!"

"Oh no! I gotta get my hairbands back! Be right back—" Spinelli said, she was interrupted by TJ, yelling, "No, wait! Look!"

First, there was the sound of rumbling, which was soon followed by high-pitched, ear-piercing screams. And then Spinelli saw him. A poor fourth-grader, being chased across the yard by a dozen kindergarteners. The gang stood still, like prey hiding from t-rex. The boy and the kindergarteners trampled right over the place where Spinelli lost her hairbands.

"I agree with Mikey. Spin, you l—" TJ said, interrupted By Spinelli.

"Can you shut up already?" Spinelli pleaded to TJ. Her whole face turned red, it didn't help that she was feeling like being grilled alive by the hot sun.

"Alright, when your two are done flirting, can we move on?" Gretchen asked. "I finally got Gus's test results."

_The hell is Gretchen talking about? TJ and me flirting? She's probably losing her mind, like Gus and TJ and Mike._


	9. Chapter 9

"Gretchen, can you finally tell us what's wrong with Gus?" Vince asked. 

"If you really want," Gretchen sighed and crossed her arms nervously before glancing over at Vince. "Um, how do I say this? Well, Spinelli was right. He simply enjoys being a... slave."

"Yeah, we already figured that out. Now tell us, how do we fix this whole situation?" TJ suddenly frowned and asked, "Wait a moment? Did you just say, slave?" 

Vince shook his head and squatted down on the ground, resting his arms on his knees. "Yeah, slave? What the hell is going on? Gretchen, can you explain this?"

"Well, yeah, the thing is, or... the only way to fix Gus is... he needs an owner or a master. Only one, though. I mean, let's be honest, If everyone can give him commands, he is going to get in trouble sooner or later." Gretchen paused to think. "But, if he only has one owner, a trustworthy one, then he should be fine, right?"

"Gretchen, I recognize that nervous expression on your face, you aren't telling us the full truth!" Vince said. "And seriously? Owner? Slave? You must be joking right now!"

"Stop doubting me and Galileo. I optimized his algorithm, and his artificial intelligence is learning from us for about three years now. He probably knows us better than we are ourselves."

TJ squatted down beside Vince. "Let's get this clear. Gus's secret is that he likes being a slave?"

Suddenly, the green frog on Galileo's screen spoke, "You are correct, TJ. Gus has a slave f... that is just his thing."

"Okay, and what's the plan? Can you help us?" TJ asked, staring at Galileo.

"It's pretty simple. Like Gretchen said, Gus needs a master. Once you people figured out who that is gonna be, the master has to give Gus one final order. That order is, from now on, I am your master, and only I am allowed to give you commands," Galileo said.

"Well, better one of us than Gelman, right, friends?" TJ asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Now, I'm gonna have to shut down, my battery charge reaches its end. Good night." A loud beep, and then Galileo's screen faded into black.

"Okay... that's so fucked up, but whatever. Listen up, everyone." TJ said. "Who's gonna be his owner?" he asked. His eyes wandered nervously over his friends.

"Don't even think about me," Gretchen said. TJ snorted.

"No way, not even in your stupidest of dreams, TJ," Spinelli said. TJ let out an amused laugh.

"I don't think that would be appropriate," Vince said, lowering his voice. TJ laughed even harder now.

"They say I'm a lovely poet, they tell me I should change my diet, but they never say that I'm a good leader, so I'm gonna stay quiet," Mikey said. TJ was now holding this stomach in pain from laughing too much. 

"I can't be a slave and a master at the same time, right?" Gus asked. TJ fell on the ground and laughed uncontrollably.

"No, that would be like dividing by zero, impossible," Gretchen said. "What about you, TJ?"

"Oh man, you guys are killing me today," TJ said, still laughing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and then finally managed to get his shit together. "Alright, since we are in America, the land of freedom and democracy, we'll simply vote. I'm sure Gretchen got some papers."

"Wait? Do we really have to do this? My whole body feels super-hot from just standing around here. I wanna play some games! Like kickball!" Spinelli complained. "C'mon, TJ, please!"

"Did everyone heard that? Spinelli is hot, so we'd better hurry up!" TJ yelled. "Gretchen, I'm sure you got some pens and a few papers!"

Vince raised his voice, "TJ is right. I have 20 minutes of cardio training ahead of me. We could play kickball after dealing with this."

Spinelli suddenly yelled, "Stop!" on top of her lungs. "This is insane! Gus, a slave? TJ, you should know better!"

"Listen, TJ. I think Spinelli is right," Gretchen said. "But we still need a temporary solution for now. So may I suggest that we are all gonna be his master?" 

"You're right! We are all trustworthy!" TJ said. He approached Gus and placed his right hand on his right shoulder. "Gus, listen. From now on, only Spinelli, Mikey, Vince, Gretchen, and I are allowed to give you any orders, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Gus said, saluting to TJ.

"Finally!" Spinelli yelled. Then, there was silence, which was interrupted by Spinelli. "You know the drill. The last one is gonna eat Mikey's old underpants!"

Suddenly, the whole gang sprinted to the giant metal basket, which had all the balls inside it. Spinelli held the lead for a while, but then her legs felt like jelly, and her lungs burned like fire. Eventually, Vince, the athletic boy, overtook her and arrived first. TJ also caught up with Spinelli, for some reason, he always ran by her side. He and Spinelli were second place. Despite his small frame and his short legs, Gus managed to beat Mikey and finished third. Now Mikey was a giant, probably the tallest person in this town. Sadly, he was too massive to run very fast, so he was fourth. Lastly, Gretchen joined the rest of the gang. She walked all the way, and her eyes were glued on a piece of paper in her hand.

TJ opened the heavy metal lid and rummaged through the basket. Most of the balls looked deflated. Luckily, the one with the American flag drawn on it looked like it had at least a little air in it. "Perfect! Let's head to the field," TJ yelled.

Suddenly, everyone cupped their ears in pain because of the sound of a loud whistle. It was Menlo, who appeared from behind with a clipboard under his left arm. "I see, TJ... really? Theft and slavery, huh? Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

"C'mon, Menlo, no need to be so loud," TJ said. "How much is it?"

"Three Lick 'n' Stick Alien Stamps for the ball, plus one per ten minutes of playtime," Menlo said. "So, how long do you guys wanna use the ball?"

"Umm," TJ glanced over at Vince, who lifted a big and heavy rock in the air. "I think, twenty... no, let's do thirty minutes."

"Alright. That's three for the ball, and three for thirty minutes, which is a total of six stamps," Menlo said. He took a look at his wristwatch. "And don't forget to bring the ball back in time. Otherwise, I am forced to charge you an overtime fee of two stamps per minute."

"Sounds like a deal," TJ said as he gave Menlo six stamps.

Spinelli still remembered when TJ went nuts in the fourth grade when he controlled almost all of the Monstickers. The Monstickers were the currency at that time. However, eventually, "Lick ‘n' Stick Alien Stamps" replaced them, and are now the school's official currency. Spinelli felt proud of TJ because he signed a contract, which doesn't allow him to control more than ten percent of the total number of stamps in circulation. Spinelli calls them lickies in her mind, because, lick and stickers sounds like lickers, but lickers sounds weird, so she changed it to lickies.

Spinelli hissed to herself as she squinted at the ball in TJ's hand. _Six lickies for a damn ball? And we get the ball for only thirty minutes! What a rip off! And the damn ball is not even filled up!_

"TJ, the ball is almost flat!" Spinelli yelled. She snagged the ball out of his hands and squeezed it tight in anger. "Menlo, you damn scammer!"

"Hey, calm down, lady. I got enough pumps here. Wait, oh shit, wow. It's you, Spinelli?" Menlo took a step back from Spinelli and raised his hands defensively. "The air pumps are free to use for students with an Ashley Beauty and Importance rating of at least seven. Otherwise, they cost one stamp per usage."

"What did you just call me, you idiot?" Spinelli waved her balled fist in the air. "Six damn lick... I mean six stamps for thirty minutes are too—"

TJ gently placed his right hand on Spinelli's right shoulder and pulled her to himself a little bit. "Calm down. I'll handle this."

"Alright." Spinelli walked away from TJ and pushed her black, messy hair away from her face _, thinking, I still_ _can't believe that the Ashleys' did that rating bullshit again. At least this_ _time, it isn't that strict. But still, if your rating is over five, you are_ _allowed to use the water faucet for free._


	10. Chapter 10

"Wait, you're really gonna give him another stamp?" Vince asked TJ. He was now lying with his back on the ground, and veins popped out of his neck as he raised a massive rock up and down in the air. 

"Oh, right. Vince has an ABI rating of seven, so it's free for us." TJ said.

Vince searched his pockets for his **A** shley **B** eauty and **I** mportance ID card, but they were empty. "Sorry, I forgot it somewhere."

TJ shrugged. "Whatever, I got enough stamps on me, so I'll pay." He gave Menlo one more alien stamp for the pump. "Let's fill up the ball!"

The ground shook when Vince let the rock in his hands fall to the ground beside him. "Ha! I get it, dude!" He approached TJ and did a fist bump with him.

_TJ is as generous as always,_ Spinelli thought. She watched TJ shoving the needle of the pump into the balls' valve, and then pumped until the ball was big and tight. Meanwhile, Menlo glanced over at Gus before pulling out a pen from his chest pocket. He wrote something down on his clipboard and said, "See you in twenty-eight minutes."

"Let's go," TJ ordered. The rest of the gang, except Gus, followed him toward the kickball field.

"Gus? C'mon!" Spinelli yelled. "What is it now? Oh, wait, Gus! Follow us! This is an order!" 

Suddenly, Gus ran as fast as he could and eventually caught up with the gang. "Yes, mam, yes."

Vince threw the ball in the air, and it landed right on the tip of his index finger. "I can't believe you and Spinelli are still going with your anti-Ashley protest," he said as the ball spun on his finger.

"Well, we've got you, a seven. So it doesn't matter anyway," TJ said, looking at Vince.

"But still, what if you're an eight? I mean, you're pretty important here. And what's your net worth like? 700 alien stamps?" Vince asked TJ. "I don't know about the... uh, about your beauty thing, though. You gotta ask a girl about that."

"I don't give a shit, and there is no way the Ashleys would rate me an eight or even higher," TJ stated. He waved at Vince. "Gimme the ball!"

"Man, can you imagine being an eight? Like seriously, people would pay you just to hang around with you." Vince said. He threw the ball to TJ. "Do you still have your card in your envelope? Let's check it out! And Spinelli, you too! I wanna see your rating!"

"Nope, I threw my card away, but I'm not sure about Spinelli," TJ said. He caught the ball with his left hand without much effort. "Spinelli! Catch!" he yelled and waited until Spinelli faced him, and then threw the ball at her.

Spinelli might not be the fasted or strongest anymore, but she was still agile as hell. She caught the ball with her right feet and kicked it right back to TJ. "I still have my... what's that shit called? Ass-shit, booty-impotence index? And no, I haven't looked at mine yet."

"Oh, shit! Spinelli sure knows how to play soccer!" TJ yelled. He repeatedly smacked the ball with his fist, dribbling it on the ground. "I wonder how high the Ashleys would rate Spinelli."

Gretchen raised her voice, "Well, according to Galileo, for the Ashleys, attractiveness is twice as important than... how important... are..."

Spinelli listened to the chirping birds and tried to drown out the sound of Gretchen's voice. They got closer to the kickball field, and Spinelli realized that she still felt kinda high from when she held hands with TJ. Sadly, that feeling faded away, so she rolled her right sleeve a little up, so that only one inch of her wrist was exposed.

_Much better,_ Spinelli moaned silently and closed her eyes for a moment because the light-headedness started again. Also, she now found it a little hard to walk in a straight line. 

_Is this what it feels like to be drugged? Whatever, it's way less intense now, but still so damn awesome. Hmm. I wonder, what would happen if TJ or someone actually notices my wrist? Or even touched it?_

Spinelli smiled as she felt her muscles starting to relax. It was like all her troubles are being washed away by an ocean. However, TJ was smashing the ball on the ground like a maniac. A few times, he pounded the ball so hard on the ground that it bounced far up into the sky. Spinelli waited for the right opportunity, and when the ball was falling down again, she jumped in the air and caught it mid-air.

"Hey! You little..." TJ said, looking dumbstruck. "What are you...? Give it back!"

"Huh? You're so fucking annoying, dude. I'm gonna keep that ball until you calm your tits," Spinelli said, with a smug grin. She wrapped her arms around the ball and pressed it tightly against her chest.

TJ increased his pace until he was right behind Spinelli and then poked her back with his finger. "Spinelli... don't make me tickle you!" 

Spinelli stopped walking abruptly, and TJ bumped right into her back. "You don't even have the balls to do that," Spinelli said. She felt TJ's body pressing against her butt and back. "It's my ball now, and there is nothing you can do about it. Deal with it."

"Alright, if you say so," TJ said. His voice was unusually calm. "Move on then."

There was a worrying silence from TJ, and Spinelli heard his footsteps getting closer and closer. _This is not good. He is definitely planning some—_

Suddenly, Spinelli felt TJ's rough fingers all over her waist and hips. She erupted in laughter and tried to push TJ away, but he was too strong. She soon lost control over her legs and almost fell on the ground, but TJ caught her. The ball dropped on the ground and rolled toward Gus. Spinelli wanted to run to the ball and grab it, but TJ had his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Let go of me! It's my ball!" Spinelli yelled, still laughing. TJ loosened his grip on Spinelli, who managed to break free from him. Spinelli ran to the ball and kicked it so hard that it flew across the whole yard straight toward the Ashleys clubhouse.

"This is one hundred percent your fault!" Angrily, Spinelli placed her hands on her hips and stared at TJ. "I'm not walking to the fucking Ashleys. It's your ball anyway."

"Yeah sure, now it's my ball or what? How about we both go?" TJ asked with a grin on his face.

"But... you tickled me!"

"So? I didn't force you to kick the ball," TJ argued.

"Then let's go together," Spinelli suggested.

"Alright."

The ball landed right in front of the clubhouse of the Ashleys, and rolled under a long table with four chairs by it. To make the situation worse, the Ashleys were in the middle of leaving their clubhouse and saw the ball rolling under it. Luckily, they didn't seem to care; they were busy placing flyers and white papers on that table.


	11. Chapter 11

TJ was grinning stupidly as he and Spinelli walked across the green field toward the clubhouse of the Ashleys. "Well, that was fun," TJ said.

 _Hell, yeah,_ Spinelli thought, saying, "No, it wasn't. Don't ever do that shit again." She sounded like a petulant child.

"Liar," TJ muttered under his breath.

"Idiot," Spinelli whispered to herself. She noticed that the Ashleys sat down on the long table, where the ball rolled under it.

Suddenly, TJ and Spinelli heard a pathetic whining noise coming from Gus, so they ran back to him and the gang.

Gus removed his glasses, rubbed his red eyes, and started to whimper like a dog. "Please..." His voice was shaking and barely audible. "Why are you guys ignoring me? Please, let me be your... servant..." 

"Huh? Okay, then. How about this," Gretchen suddenly raised her voice, and the corners of her lips twitched. "Go fetch the ball!"

All Spinelli could do his shake her head as she watched Gus barking like a dog and then running toward the clubhouse to get the ball. "Gretchen, really? Why?"

"I'm doing a scientific experiment," Gretchen said. "I'm gonna have to get my power bank from my locker, I really need Galileo now."

"I wonder," Spinelli said. "If King Lawson finds out that Gus is like... our slave, could we get in trouble?"

"Well, it's a little bit in the gray zone, I think," TJ said, approaching Spinelli. "But at least Vince is a seven, so he has court access."

Spinelli chuckled and stared embarrassed at her feet because she heard Mikey letting out a quiet, but very long fart, which sounded like a machine gun. "What? What if you don't have court access? Like... if someone steals from you, then you can't even sue him?"

"Yes, even if you have proof. Sucks for Mikey, Gus, and Gretchen," TJ said, looking at Gretchen with an apologetic smile. "I still can't believe they only gave you a four." 

Gretchen shrugged. "Obviously, I'm a very integral part of this school due to my high intelligence. However, I suspect that the acne and blisters on my face reduce my attractiveness by a great magnitude."

Spinelli's nose wrinkled up in disgust because she picked up the weak scent of fecal matter. She discreetly took a few steps away from Mikey and watched Gus approaching the Ashleys. "He will have to crawl under the table," Spinelli whispered to herself.

The Ashleys spotted Gus under the table and started to scream. "Help, security! We got a creep over here!" Ashley Q yelled. All the Ashleys stood up and surrounded Gus. They spat on his head and threw his glasses away. "You disgusting freak! I bet you saw my panties!" Ashley A yelled.

_All the Ashleys wear skirts, so Gus might really saw their underwear! I wish I could wear a dress like them! I bet I would get so high that I pass out!_

Two jocks wearing sunglasses and black security caps came running to Gus, who crawled and hid under the table. They pulled him out from under it, then one of the jocks narrowed his eyes and waved his hand, gesturing fuck off to Gus. 

"Yes, sir," Gus yelled to the jocks before crawling back to the gang without his glasses. A moment later, Gus was back. "Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! They wouldn't let me pass!" he said to Gretchen.

"It's not your fault—" Gretchen said. She gasped when Gus started to cry like a little baby. "Uh, I think Gus needs affection again. Um, Spinelli? You have the most experience with him... so would you please?"

Spinelli imagined slapping Gretchen in the face for suggesting that shit. She yelled, "Gus! Stop it! Man up, dude, and stop crying! This is an order!"

"Yes, mam, sir." Gus straightened his spine and stopped crying, but he was still sobbing. "They won't let me... Rating... only... for... eights... and higher..."

 _Gus is pissing me off. How can he be such a wimp?_ Spinelli wondered. She looked at her exposed right wrist and noticed she felt less excited and high, and more bored now. _I wanna feel great again, and want to see more of TJ's freckles!_ She rolled up her right sleeve a little more, showing off one more inch of her wrist.

Suddenly, Spinelli felt a little dizzy, and she let out a quiet moan. _This feels so good. I think I should take a walk._ "Listen, guys. I'm gonna get the ball and Gus's glasses, I need some time alone anyway," Spinelli said.

"You sure?" TJ asked. "I better come with—"

"Stop it! I'm going alone!" Spinelli yelled.

"Okay... jeez. If these two jocks try to mess with you, let me know. Me and Vince will beat the shit out of them," TJ said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Spinelli said. "And Gus? Stay with TJ, hold his hands," Spinelli joked. 

"We'll wait for you at the kickball fields," Vince said. He looked cool as fuck and cracked his knuckles.

Spinelli strolled across the field with a grin on her face. _This is so cool, and everything is perfect for me! I literally found a drug, and it's not even a dangerous one! I'll just show off a little skin, and feel high like a kite! I mean, let's be honest, there is nothing wrong with showing off my body, right?_

Spinelli stared at the bright and hot sun and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

_What did my teacher call that? Super violet ultra-radiation? I guess I could get a sunburn, but that's why sun cream exists! But still, I will have to do this slow. I can't just run around with a t-shirt and skirt, what if they all laugh at me like in sixth grade?_

As Spinelli got closer to the clubhouse, she could sense the smell of rubber, coming from Ashleys clubhouse. _So many tires, I wonder if my plastic spider is still hidden there._

"Spinelli!" a voice yelled from behind. It was TJ. "Wait for me!" He jogged toward Spinelli.

"What are you doing here? Go away, I'm not afraid of the Ashleys and the two assholes," Spinelli yelled. She noticed that she really likes to mess around with TJ lately, so she started to run. "You know what, catch me if you can!"

"Okay!" TJ yelled, he started to chase Spinelli.

Spinelli ran as fast as her legs could. She managed the keep TJ behind her for a while. But as she got closer to the clubhouse, she started to sweat like hell and felt like passing out from the heat. Eventually, TJ caught up with her, and like always, he ran beside her.

"Got ya." TJ playfully slapped Spinelli's shoulder and then ran past her. He stopped running when he reached the clubhouse and stood frozen beside it to the right.

"I will not stop!" Spinelli yelled. She was still running fast, right toward TJ. "And I will not move out of the way!"

_He is a pussy, he will definitely get out of my way, oh shit—_

Then, Spinelli was in TJ's arms. Her momentum caused him to fall backward on the grass. TJ wrapped his left arm around Spinelli's back and said, "You're so fucking hot," as he placed his right palm on Spinelli's forehead. "You really need to take that damn jacket off, or you will get a heatstroke!"

 _Fuck it, it's just TJ, he would never laugh at me or at my arms._ Spinelli released herself from TJ's grip and stood up. With a charming and nervous grin on her face, she began to unzip her jacket. Sadly, the two jocks from before appeared.

"Hey you two lovebirds, this area is restricted to students with an ABI rating of eight and higher only." The two jocks moved closer to Spinelli and crossed their arms like robots. "Or I will slap you with a fine of 20 alien stamps."

TJ didn't like how close they were to Spinelli, so he stepped in between her and them and said, "Calm down, man. We're only here for the ball." He pointed at the Ashleys, who grabbed the ball and Gus's glasses and rushed inside their clubhouse. "Oh no! They're stealing our ball and Gus's glasses!"

One of the jocks raised his voice, "Yeah, dude, whatever. If you're a five or higher, you can sue them, now show me your damn ABI ID. Last warning, by the way."

"I don't support that Ashley rating, so I threw mine away," TJ said.

The jocks started to laugh. "Are you kidding me? You know what this means? No card means you're a zero. Congrats, you just threw your talking privilege away."

The jocks turned his attention to Spinelli. "What about you, little girl?"

"Nope, fuck off. I want the ball!" Spinelli said, balling her fist. _Damned, that was all my fucking fault._

"I'm gonna say it one last time, show me your ABI card, or face the wrath of the law," the jocks warned.

"Let me talk with her," TJ said. He approached Spinelli and placed his hands on her shoulder and started to whisper, "Just show them your card, I'm sure the Ass-leys rated you a five or higher."

"Nope, I'm still going with you, with the protest, were in this together!" Spinelli said. "They can suck my not existent dick."

 _Fuck this. Fuck everyone,_ these were Spinelli's last thought before she pushed TJ away, and ran past the two jocks straight toward the clubhouse of the Ashleys.


	12. Chapter 12

When Spinelli arrived at the entrance of the clubhouse of the Ashleys', she looked back and saw that TJ and the two security boys were chasing her. She knew that they wouldn't dare to follow her inside, so she quickly grabbed her black, plastic tarantula, which was hidden inside a tire to the left. Before jumping in, Spinelli grinned smugly and yelled, "Sorry, no boys allowed!"

_ Alright! Everything is going according to plan. Now I just need to find the ball and Gus's glasses. Man... what is wrong with me? Why do I feel so bad for Gus? Why do I even care? _

The clubhouse looked just like Spinelli remembered, pompous, and luxurious. She rushed to the four massive silver mirrors, which hung on the wall on the left side, and opened all the drawers of the desks underneath them. Sadly, all she found was make-up and tampon boxes.

_ Damn cunts. What do they even want with Gus's glasses? And I never saw them playing any damn ball games! _ Spinelli wondered. She glanced in the mirror and realized that she looked different without her pigtails.  _ I can't even recognize my own face. I wonder what TJ is thinking about my new looks? _ _ Wait a moment... This is not the right time!  _

It was at that moment that Spinelli realized that the clubhouse was totally deserted. The lack of noise was eerie and unnerving; there was no trace of the Ashleys', and Spinelli knew that she shouldn't be able to get in here that easily. Her eyes began to wander toward the exit, where she saw a large, wooden chest placed right beside it.

_ Gotcha! _ Spinelli thought as she approached the chest. She then moaned in annoyance because she saw a big, bronze lock under the lid. Fuck. No key.  _ You know what, screw this! _

Spinelli had enough, she angrily stomped on the ground and screamed, "Hey, you ass-lees, come out! I'm not afraid of you!"

Spinelli kneeled down in front of the chest and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated that she had no hairpins to pick the lock, she walked back to the mirrors, grabbed a purple lipstick, and then wrote "FUCK YOU" on one of them.

Once again, Spinelli grunted. "Show yourselves, or I will tell Mikey to shit on your clothes!"

The silence was suddenly broken by the soft wails of Gus coming from outside. Spinelli ignored it and noticed the five golden wardrobes on the opposite wall. She walked to the farthest one on the right and opened it.  _ Oh shit! No— _ A pile of tightly packed, expensive, designer clothes fell out everywhere on the ground.

_ Holy moly, these must cost a fortune! _

Spinelli rummaged through the pile of clothes and picked up a short, blue skirt. The silky fabric brushing against her skin reminded her of her plans for tonight, which was to buy a dress and then to take a walk alone outside at night while wearing it. However, her thoughts were interrupted by a thud. When she heard a quiet screech coming from the wardrobe right next to her, she tiptoed toward it.

_ I knew it; I bet it's a trap! But I still need the damn stuff. Let's see who's hiding inside. _

"Alright, come out. I know you're inside there. By the way, I'm armed." Spinelli hid the fake spider behind her back. "Last warning."

The door hinge began to squeal as the wardrobe seemingly opened itself. Then, a blonde girl stepped out of it. It was Ashley A, and she asked, "Do you like what you are seeing?" She flicked her head to the pile of clothes beside Spinelli.

"Listen, I'm not here to make a scene. Give me the ball and the glasses." Spinelli threw the skirt on the pile and then showed Ashley A her plastic Spider. "Or I'm gonna force you to eat that!"

Ashley A started to laugh. "Oh my god! A plastic spider? Where the hell do you think you are? Fourth-grade?"

Spinelli threw the spider at Ashley A and screamed, "Fuck you, man. Just give me back my stuff! Or I will flood your clubhouse with Mikey's diarrhea."

"First, you have to answer me a simple question, do you like what you are seeing?" Ashley A. picked up the blue skirt from before and held it in front of Spinelli's face. "Look, one of my best pieces in my collection."

Spinelli snapped. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not a stuck-up cunt like you."

"Oh, you wish. I can see it in your eyes, the way you move; you're still an Ashley in your heart. The problem is that you're surrounded by low IQ monkeys who are clouding your mind with trivial crap," Ashley A approached Spinelli and shoved the skirt in her hands. "Touch it, it's so smooth!"

"Why make it so difficult?" Spinelli asked, accepting the skirt. She then spit on the red carpet, which covered the whole ground. "See? I'm not here to play your games. First, I spit, then, Mikey's shit."

"All these years, and you're still as hot-headed as ever, I bet TJ loves it!" Ashley A. said. "Just keep in mind that we're still open for applicants. After all, you're still an Ashley."

"You know what? Fuck it. I'm going to the king." Spinelli stated. "And leave TJ out of this mess, or I will break your legs."

"Oh, jeez, calm down. You know that the king is in our pocket. But whatever, let me tell you something, times have changed, we aren't in elementary school anymore," Ashley A. said. "We're more... hmm... how can I say it... were more rational? I guess."

Now feeling fed up with the whole situation, Spinelli balled her right fist in the air. "I don't give a fuck, give me the ball, or I will rip your fucking head out!" she screamed on top of her lungs.

"Sure, follow me." Ashley A. suddenly walked calmly to the chest near the entrance and pulled out a platinum key. She shoved it in the lock, turning it. The chest clicked open. "Here are your things, my dear. Try being a little friendlier next time."

Afraid of getting pranked, Spinelli glanced carefully inside the chest and couldn't believe it, she saw the ball and Gus's glasses. "Finally! Was that so hard? Why all the fuss?"

Ashley A licked her dry lips. "Because I care about you, Ashley Spinelli."

"What are you planning?" Spinelli asked, realizing that Ashley A was behaving out of character. She then rested her feet on a tire and said, "And don't ever call me the A-word again."

"That's none of your business. Now go before I call security."

"Bitch," Spinelli muttered under her breath as she climbed out of the clubhouse.


End file.
